The Regime Media, which had zero interest in Melania Trump while she was First Lady of the United States, has developed a sudden interest now that she has come out in favor of abortion. This sudden interest is fueled by the opportunity to create the illusion of a wedge between the former President and First Lady.
Watch here as ABC’s David Muir goes into another one of his overwrought introductions wherein he bigfoots the following report, in this case by Rachel Scott, by condensing it into a brief:
DAVID MUIR: Meantime, we turn now to former First Lady Melania Trump. In a major break with her husband, taking a stand to support abortion rights, reportedly writing in her new memoir that abortion is a woman's fundamental right, and saying in social media that “there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right.” But in excerpts and video released so far, Melania Trump makes no mention of her husband former President Trump taking credit for appointing the three justices who helped the Supreme Court overturn Roe. Tonight, the former president's response just in, and here's Rachel Scott.
The broader purpose of these reports seems twofold: first, to dump on the public excerpts of the book for failing to chastise Donald Trump over his appointment of the three Supreme Court justices that joined Justice Alito’s opinion in Dobbs. Second, to echo the conspiracy theory that Melania’s support of abortion is part of a broader effort to deceive voters on the issue.
Recall that this wild theory was first pushed by ABC News over at The View. Per colleague Nick Fondacaro’s reporting:
Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin noted that “even though it was written a while ago,” the release of Melania’s opinion was “strategic” to the election. “I think they think this is going to give Republicans permission or independence to be like, ‘oh, I guess I could vote for him because people who support abortion can,’” she said.
Rachel Scott hammered the point home with a quote from Vice President Kamala Harris:
RACHEL SCOTT: Now, with the election fast approaching and Trump struggling to win over some women voters, he insists he wanted the matter of abortion returned to the states. Vice President Kamala Harris says, “don't be fooled.”
KAMALA HARRIS: He intended for them to undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. And as he intended, they did. Now, in more than 20 states, there is a Trump abortion ban.
In case viewers missed Muir’s intro brief, they got a dose of the messaging again on the way out:
RACHEL SCOTT: Again, David, none of the passages released so far of Melania Trump’s book make any mention of Roe versus Wade being overturned, or her husband's role in appointing three of the Supreme Court justices who ultimately supported that decision. She did not speak out then, but she is making her position known now, 33 days out from the November election, David.
Over at CBS there was less of an effort to showcase Melania’s abortion stance, lumping it in with its report on the Democrats’ gleeful embrace of the Cheneys. As in Dick and Liz. Correspondent Nancy Cordes mentions the Melania news at the end of the report, and anchor Norah O’Donnell does her part to fuel the ongoing conspiracy:
NANCY CORDES: (Donald Trump) did not address the new comments from his wife, Melania, who unexpectedly came out in favor of abortion rights in a video promoting her upcoming book.
MELANIA TRUMP: There is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right.
CORDES: In an interview after the speech, Trump said he actually had spoken to his wife beforehand and told her she should share what was in her heart, even if they disagree. Here in Wisconsin, Cheney just said that Harris is standing in the breach at a critical time in this nation's history, and she urged conservatives to vote for her. Norah.
NORAH O’DONNELL: So interesting that Melania Trump is saying that now. Nancy Cordes, thank you so much.
The worst reporting on this may well have come from NBC Nightly News, normally the more restrained of the Regime Media telecasts. Both anchor Lester Holt and correspondent Garrett Haake made an effort to suggest a wedge between the Trumps:
LESTER HOLT: There is a divide between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on abortion rights, and now Melania Trump is weighing in. Here is Garrett Haake.
GARRETT HAAKE: Tonight, the Trump family a house divided on the issue of abortion rights. Former First Lady Melania Trump defending them in an unreleased memoir writing, quote, “restricting a woman's right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body”, according to a Guardian report unconfirmed by NBC News. And Mrs. Trump posting today:
MELANIA TRUMP: There is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom.
And then echoing a campaign statement from Vice President Kamala Harris weirdly chasting Trump for not agreeing with his wife:
HAAKE: But tonight the Harris campaign highlighting the split between the Trumps, releasing a statement that reads in part: “sadly for the women across America, Mrs. Trump's husband firmly disagrees with her.”
Two takeaways emerge from media coverage of Melania’s now-public stance on abortion. First, that the Regime Media’s obsessive coverage of Melania Trump stands as an indictment of their total blackout of the First Lady while Trump was in office, unless it was to air criticism of her restoration of the Rose Garden, or of her Christmas decorations, or anything else related to her time as First Lady.
Second: the Regime Media do allocate time to report on presidential candidate spouses. So long as the report isn’t about Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff allegedly slapping a former girlfriend so hard that she was made to spin. Allegedly.
Click “expand” to view the transcripts of these reports as aired on their respective network evening newscasts on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
10/3/24
6:35 PM
DAVID MUIR: Meantime, we turn now to former First Lady Melania Trump. In a major break with her husband, taking a stand to support abortion rights, reportedly writing in her new memoir that abortion is a woman's fundamental right, and saying in social media that “there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right.” But in excerpts and video released so far, Melania Trump makes no mention of her husband former President Trump taking credit for appointing the three justices who helped the Supreme Court overturn Roe. Tonight, the former president's response just in, and here's Rachel Scott.
RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, Donald Trump in battleground Michigan, rallying his supporters but making no mention of the surprising new headline from his wife. Former First Lady Melania Trump, now staking out a very different position from her husband on the critical issue of abortion. In excerpts from her new memoir published by The Guardian, the former First Lady declaring herself a lifelong supporter of abortion rights, writing -- "Restricting a woman's right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body." Mrs. Trump,who rarely speaks out on issues, then releasing this promotional video just 33 days before the election.
MELANIA TRUMP: There is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom. What does "My body, my choice" really mean?
SCOTT: According to the book excerpts, which ABC News has not confirmed, the former First Lady writes, "A woman's fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes." But in none of the published excerpts does Mrs. Trump address her husband's key role in eliminating a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. The former president has often boasted of appointing three of the Supreme Court Justices who overturned Roe versus Wade.
DONALD TRUMP: Nobody has ever done more for Right to Life than Donald Trump. I put three Supreme Court justices, who all voted, and they got something that they've been fighting for for 64 years.
SCOTT: Throughout his presidency, Trump proclaimed himself a staunch opponent of abortion rights.
DONALD TRUMP: I'm proud to be the most pro-life president in American history.
SCOTT: Now, with the election fast approaching and Trump struggling to win over some women voters, he insists he wanted the matter of abortion returned to the states. Vice President Kamala Harris says, “don't be fooled.”
KAMALA HARRIS: He intended for them to undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. And as he intended, they did. Now, in more than 20 states, there is a Trump abortion ban.
SCOTT: Tonight, Donald Trump responding to his wife's new words.
DONALD TRUMP: We spoke about it and I said, “You have to write what you believe. I'm not going to tell you what to do. You have to write what you believe.”
SCOTT: Again, David, none of the passages released so far of Melania Trump’s book make any mention of Roe versus Wade being overturned, or her husband's role in appointing three of the Supreme Court justices who ultimately supported that decision. She did not speak out then, but she is making her position known now, 33 days out from the November election, David.
MUIR: Rachel Scott on the campaign trail. Rachel. Thank you.
CBS EVENING NEWS
10/3/24
6:33 PM
NORAH O’DONNELL: Tonight, the race for The White House runs through an unusual stop for the Democratic nominee. Actually, the birthplace of the Republican Party. That's Ripon, Wisconsin, where Vice President Kamala Harris appeared with former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Remember, Cheney is a lifetime Republican and a former member of the January 6th Committee. At the same time, there was a campaign surprise from former First Lady Melania Trump, signaling her support for abortion rights, in spite of her husband boasting many times he probably overturned Roe vs. Wade. We get more now from CBS's Nancy Cordes.
NANCY CORDES: A big moment in tiny Ripon, Wisconsin. Former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, the daughter of a former vice president, making her first appearance with the Democratic nominee.
LIZ CHENEY: But I will be voting for Kamala Harris.
CORDES: Cheney first announced her support last month, but she has been a critic of former President Donald Trump for years. And was vice chair of the January 6th Committee, which examined Trump's role in the Capitol insurrection.
LIZ CHENEY: He is unfit for any office.
CORDES: The Harris campaign has been working to highlight the growing list of Republicans who now oppose Trump.
MIKE PENCE: I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump this year.
CORDES: Those defections rattled Steven Michek, a former Wisconsin sheriff who is switching to Harris after voting for Trump in 2016.
STEVEN MICHEK: All of the changes in the administrative staff, just constant turnover of people, the just- unusual things of having all of your children employed in The White House was like, I would not do that in the Sheriff's Office.
CORDES: In a court filing released yesterday, Special Counsel Jack Smith alleged that Trump ignored threats to his VP’s life during the Capitol Riot, allegedly telling an aide, "So what?"
DONALD TRUMP: We won. We won. We did. It was a rigged election.
CORDES: In Saginaw, Michigan today, Trump repeated his false claims about 2020 and warned of an apocalypse if Harris wins next month.
TRUMP: Instead of a Golden Age, America will instead be plunged into a dark age. Your family finances will be permanently destroyed.
CORDES: He did not address the new comments from his wife, Melania, who unexpectedly came out in favor of abortion rights in a video promoting her upcoming book.
MELANIA TRUMP: There is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right.
CORDES: In an interview after the speech, Trump said he actually had spoken to his wife beforehand and told her she should share what was in her heart, even if they disagree. Here in Wisconsin, Cheney just said that Harris is standing in the breach at a critical time in this nation's history, and she urged conservatives to vote for her. Norah.
O’DONNELL: So interesting that Melania Trump is saying that now. Nancy Cordes, thank you so much.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
10/3/24
6:43 PM
LESTER HOLT: There is a divide between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on abortion rights, and now Melania Trump is weighing in. Here is Garrett Haake.
GARRETT HAAKE: Tonight, the Trump family a house divided on the issue of abortion rights. Former First Lady Melania Trump defending them in an unreleased memoir writing, quote, “restricting a woman's right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body”, according to a Guardian report unconfirmed by NBC News. And Mrs. Trump posting today:
MELANIA TRUMP: There is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom.
HAAKE: Her position in stark contrast to that of her husband, the Republican presidential nominee, who opposes federal abortion rights while supporting exceptions for rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger, saying restrictions should be left to the states. Former President Trump also regularly boasting about the repeal of Roe v. Wade, falsely claiming majorities supported that decision.
DONALD TRUMP: Democrats, Republicans, and everybody else and every legal scholar wanted it to be brought back into the states.
HAAKE: Despite their disagreement on abortion rights, Melania Trump remains a strong political supporter of her husband, who spoke out late tonight.
DONALD TRUMP: We spoke about it. And I said, “you have to write what you believe. I'm not going to tell you what to do. You have to write what you believe”…I said, “you have to stick with your heart. I've said that to everybody.”
HAAKE: But tonight the Harris campaign highlighting the split between the Trumps, releasing a statement that reads in part: “sadly for the women across America, Mrs. Trump's husband firmly disagrees with her”, and blaming former President Trump for abortion restrictions in Republican-led states, saying it, quote: “threatens their health, their freedom, and their lives.” Garrett Haake, NBC News, Saginaw, Michigan.
